commode

C2 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /kəˈməʊd/ See IPA manual

Freq #38212

Meanings

1

noun
A toilet, or a chair with a built-in chamber pot.

The nurse helped the patient onto the commode beside the bed.
2

noun
A low, decorative chest of drawers.

An antique commode stood against the bedroom wall.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a toilet, or a chair with a... toilet

2 noun · a low, decorative chest of... chiffonier

Word family

Forms commodes

Related forms accommodationbidetcommodiousdiscommodeincommode

Simplified etymology

Commode comes ultimately from Latin commodus, meaning “fit” or “convenient.” In late 16th-century English it could denote a headdress or chest of drawers; in the early 19th century it came to mean a seat containing a chamber pot.

Etymology

Borrowed from French commode (literally “convenient”). Doublet of comodo.

*med- Proto-Indo-European commode French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# commode

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /kəˈməʊd/
**Frequency rank:** 38212

## Meanings
1. A toilet, or a chair with a built-in chamber pot.
2. A low, decorative chest of drawers.

## Examples
- The nurse helped the patient onto the commode beside the bed.
- An antique commode stood against the bedroom wall.

## Related Forms
- accommodation
- bidet
- commodious
- discommode
- incommode

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *med-
- Root: commode

## Etymology
Borrowed from French commode (literally “convenient”). Doublet of comodo.

## AI Etymology
Commode is borrowed from French commode (literally “convenient”). Doublet of comodo. Important recorded forms include *med- (Proto-Indo-European) and commode (French). Current senses include a toilet, or a chair with a built-in chamber pot and a low, decorative chest of drawers. The wider family includes related words such as accommodation, bidet, commodious, discommode, and incommode.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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